Source: London Elects
Saturday 4 May 2024
Thursday 19 October 2023
Do you have views on the provision of student accommodation in Wembley/Brent? Contribute to the London Mayor's consultation.
At a recent Planning Committee meeting where an application for new student accommodation in Wembley Park was made, existing residents spoke against on the grounds that it created would imbalance and undermine community cohesion because students were short-term residents not committed to the area. There were also concerns about anti-social behaviour. Countering this officers argued that students contributed to the local financial and cultural economy.
Now the London Mayor is undertaking a consultation on provision of student accommodation to which residents might want to conribute. Details below:
The Mayor of London is consulting on new London Plan Guidance (LPG) relating to student housing, otherwise known as purpose-built student accommodation or PBSA.
The guidance supports London Plan policy H15 to best meet student housing needs as part of a wider approach to housing delivery and regeneration. It aims to unlock PBSA delivery and also address imbalances to help achieve a more mixed and inclusive London.
This event is a Q&A session for stakeholders to bring any queries they have about the document or the consultation. It assumes that attendees have watched the two minute introductory video or read the draft document, both available on our consultation site.
Questions can be submitted in advance by email to studenthousingLPG@london.gov.uk or you are welcome to just turn up on the day and ask them and listen to our responses to other people's questions.
[Images courtesy of Unite and Affordable Accommodation for Students Ltd]
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the event free? Yes.
Who is this event for? The event is open to all and is suitable for interest groups, public campaign groups, developers, landowners, agents and Londoners to ask questions and find out more.
How will the session take place and how can I join? The session will take place online. Once you have registered via Eventbrite, you will be emailed a link to join the event 24 hours before the event takes place.
Will I be able to ask questions during the event? Yes the whole event is structured around Q&As.
Do I have to submit questions in advance? You are welcome to send questions through in advance by email to studenthousingLPG@london.gov.uk which will help us prepare, but you can also just turn up and ask them and we will do our best to answer them on the spot.
Is this a repeat of the event on the 3rd November? Yes, there is no need to attend both events.
What if I have accessibility requirements? Please let us know when booking your ticket on Eventbrite. Please let us know as soon as possible. We will endeavour to meet any requests made within two weeks of the event, however these cannot be guaranteed.
Where can I find out more and share my views? To watch the introductory video, read the guidance and share your views, visit the consultation page. Consultation on the LPG closes on 11 January 2024
How can I find out more about this event? Please contact studenthousinglpg@london.gov.uk if you have any further questions about the event.
We hope you can join us. RESERVE PLACE HERE
The consultation, including the survey (below) will be open until 11th January 2024.
We have 2 open-to-all Q&A events in October and November, and further engagement events are also planned with specific stakeholder groups, notably the cross-sectoral Mayor’s Academic Forum and boroughs. More information on the public events can be found on the 'events' section on this page.
All feedback will be reviewed and a consultation summary document will be published alongside the final guidance.
Register to be notified of planning policy consultations(External link) or sign up for GLA Planning News(External link).
You can email the team on: studenthousinglpg@london.gov.uk(External link)(External link).
Thursday 23 March 2023
Millions unspent on retrofitting London’s homes
This story from Green Party Asssemby Member Zack Polanski, puts today's retrofit announcement from Brent Council in perspective. Brent was awarded the second lowest amount of the successsful London boroughs:
Green London Assembly Member Zack Polanski today revealed to the Mayor that just 45 homes had been retrofitted across London under the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, despite £18 million being made available to London councils over a year ago.
The measures to improve the energy efficiency of
London’s homes were supposed to be completed by the end of March 2023, but a
shortage of skilled workers has delayed delivery.
Green London Assembly Member Zack Polanski said:
The Mayor is still sitting on his hands despite declaring a ‘retrofit revolution’ two years ago.
His failure to get a handle on the retrofit skills gap is preventing London benefitting from available Government funds.
The Mayor needs to get his retrofit revolution on the right track, support the upgrading of homes and protect Londoners from sky-high energy bills.
Nine of the 11 London boroughs awarded funds have
failed to deliver any retrofitting works at all. This represents over £13
million of available government funding not being put to use.
Across the country, just 14% of the planned 20,000
homes expected to be upgraded have had works completed. As a result, the
deadline for local authorities to spend the first wave of funding has been
extended to June.
Housing experts, including representatives from
the Chartered Institute of Housing, say the slow rollout of retrofit upgrades
stems from a national skills shortage in the retrofit sector.[5] London
Councils have said that London needs 110,000 people working in retrofit by
2030. Currently, there are only 4,000
The publication of this data comes after the Mayor
of London showed hesitance to ramp-up his retrofit skills training offer using
his £320 million Adult Education Budget. Speaking to the London Assembly in
November, the Mayor said, “what we need is some certainty there are [retrofit]
jobs to go to.”
With Londoners facing rising bills during the cost
of living crisis, retrofitting homes to improve their energy efficiency is a
way to reduce energy bills and household costs – while reducing emissions.
The second wave of funding, being made available
to local authorities and housing associations later this year, is around four
times the budget of the first wave, at almost £800 million.
Thursday 23 February 2023
Delivering City Hall's universal primary school free school meals is 'going to be a challenge'
The weekend announcement
Brent Schools Forum this week was over-shadowed by budget concerns. Schools have been hit by high energy costs, inflation, falling pupil numbers, delays in awarding funding for EHCPs (Education Health and Care Plans for pupils with special needs) which means that schools fund extra support from their own budgets. There is now the prospect that any staff salary increases will have to be funded from the individual school budgets rather than be fully funded by the government.
A significant number of Brent schools will have an in-year deficit in 2023-24, relying on the use of their reserves or a contribution from the Council via the Direct Schools Grant.
Against this background, although the Mayor's one year (and one-off) provision of universal free school meals was welcomed by Forum members, they also noted that there were issues around implementation.
Officers are still trying to ascertain details from City Hall but if the GLA financial contribution is just for meal ingredients, and perhaps energy costs, there are other costs involved.
One headteacher pointed out that in his school, if those children currently bringing in packed lunches, switched to hot meals, it would double the number having school meals. This would mean investing in the kitchen capacity (equipment and staffing) but as a 'windfall' provision, without further funding in the future, this expansion would end after a year. In his school there would be double the number of pupils for whom food would have to be prepared, served, supervised and cleared.
The impatct will vary between schools depending on how many children bring in a packed lunch at present.
Getting the expanded provision up and running by September 2023 would be a further challenge, especially if kitchen infrastructure work was needed, given current rising building costs and unreliable supply chains.
At a practical level the switch from children sitting down to their own packed lunches, basically serving themselves, and instead joining the lunchtime queue at the servery would present logistical problems that would extend the lunch break and require additional supervision.
An unintended consequence might be that because at present parents of junior aged children have to register for free school meals, and this is used as a base for pupil premium funds, universality would mean parents would no longer bother to register - reducing the amount of pupil premium allocated to the school.
Gwen Grahl, Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Schools, responding to the discussion said:
There are definitely legitimate concerns about how this will be implemented. We have recognised for a while now that there is a need for better measures to tackle food poverty. We hear that, not only from teachers, but also from foodbanks that we visit. It (universal free primary school meals) is a positive measure in that regard and we think that the amount of money (£170m) is something we want to use, but we have been in touch with City Hall and have raised some of the concerns.
We have made it clear that there wil be challenges with implementation. We want to have the confidence that we can implement by September and we would need support from City Hall in doing so. We would also need the confidence that the projected amount it will cost is accurate as I think that City Hall has done its own research and what they think it will cost in every borough. I think the amount is £2.71 per meal, so it is going to be a stretch. We also raised the issue of whether it would affect the pupil premium.
I am sure you will appreciate none of the details have come out yet. We want to reassure you that we have raised raised these issues with City Hall and we are looking for a lot of detail and support from them in implementation.
We will be able to disucss this with headteachers as soon as broader details have been refined for Brent.
Wednesday 24 August 2022
Mayor of London criticises Government's 'watered down' post-Grenfell building evacuation plans and says PEEPs is the only way to ensure comprehensive & consistent implementation
Sadiq Khan has responded to the Government's post-Grenfell consultation on Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing which they undertook after rejecting the Grenfell Inquiry's recommendation on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).
It would be useful to know if Brent Council agrees with the London Mayor's response.
Response to Emergency Evacuation Sharing Information Consultation
17 August 2022
Summary
The Mayor of London reiterates his view that legislating for Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) in all buildings of any height covered by the Fire Safety Order, and providing central funding, is the only way to ensure there is comprehensive and consistent implementation across the entire country.
The proposals set out in this consultation on Emergency Evacuation Sharing Information (EEIS) amount to little more than a watered-down version of PEEPs. The Mayor has identified several of limitations to the EEIS proposals and has detailed them below.
Government’s ongoing failure to implement this recommendation from Grenfell Tower Inquiry is disappointing and concerning. Government must ensure that the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry do not become a missed opportunity for change, as was the case after the Lakanal House fire.
Five years on from the Grenfell fire, the Mayor pays tribute to the bereaved and survivors who are campaigning for change so that a disaster like Grenfell never happens again.
Response to consultation
Following the tragic loss of life in the fire at Grenfell Tower, in which 41 per cent of residents with disabilities died, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended that owners and managers of every high-rise residential building be required by law to prepare PEEPs for all residents whose ability toself-evacuate may be compromised (such as persons with reduced mobility or cognition).
Given that 83 per cent of respondents to the original PEEPs consultation in 2021 supported the proposal, it is clear that there is significant demand for this recommendation to be implemented in full.
The Mayor is pleased to read that a working group of disabled groups and housing providers is being set up by government and would stress that the group membership must be diverse and reflect all views, including those who would benefit from PEEPs. It is vital that the working group considers and establishes the best way to implement PEEPs in practice.
While the call for evidence on PEEPs is welcome, government should also be conducting pilot schemes and undertaking research to make a more informed assessment of PEEPs in residential housing. The Mayor hopes that this would lead government to reconsider its latest position.
Following a commitment to implement PEEPS fully, the evidence collected from this process could then inform a nationwide protocol, guidance and training on how the housing and development sector could implement the requirements of any legislation on PEEPs.
The Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing (EEIS) consultation released on 18 May 2022 proposes alternative measures to protect the fire safety of residents who would need support to evacuate in an emergency. This proposal differs from PEEPs in a number of key ways. First, it only focuses on residents who are mobility impaired as opposed to those with other physical or cognitive impairments. Second, it only applies to buildings with a simultaneous evacuation strategy and not buildings with a stay put strategy. Third, it proposes five steps that involve conducting a Person Centred Fire Risk Assessment (PCFRA) as opposed to a PEEP, and then sharing information with the local Fire and Rescue Service (FRS). Fourth, it relies on the FRS to conduct rescues of those who would be unable to self-evacuate.
1. Scope
The Mayor is concerned that EEIS only focuses on residents that are mobility impaired and urges government to take a more inclusive approach. People who may be unable to self-evacuate include those with mobility issues but also those with other physical and cognitive impairments which may be permanent or temporary.
2. Building fire strategy
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended PEEPs for all high-rise residential buildings and government consulted on that proposal on 8 June 2021. Government is now proposing to introduce EEIS – a watered down version of PEEPs – only for buildings with a simultaneous evacuation strategy in place. Under these proposals, those buildings with a stay put policy in place would not be required to provide EEISs for relevant residents. It is welcomed that government has moved away from using height as a distinguishing factor, but the new categorisation of fire strategy cannot be the correct approach either. A resident affected by smoke or fire must have a plan and means to get to a place of safety, regardless of whether the building has a stay put or simultaneous evacuation policy. Grenfell Tower was a building with a stay put policy and 72 people lost their lives. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report recommended government develop national guidelines for evacuation of high-rise buildings as a result. It is clear that stay put cannot be the only strategy and all buildings must have a Plan B so that residents can evacuate to a place of safety if stay put is no longer viable.
Since Grenfell, countless buildings have been found to have fire safety defects and have therefore been forced to change their fire strategy to simultaneous evacuation until remediation is complete.
Linking EEIS to buildings with simultaneous evacuation risks suggesting building owners can retire EEISs once the building has been remediated. That was never the intention of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendation around PEEPs.
3. Person Centred Fire Risk Assessments (PCFRAs)
A PCFRA is a risk assessment that helps identify residents who are at higher risk from fire in their own flat. It differs from a PEEP in that it is not a bespoke escape plan to assist residents who may have difficulties in evacuating a building unaided during an emergency.
The EEIS consultation proposes a process whereby the Responsible Person (RP) offers a PCFRA to residents who self-identify as requiring assistance to self-evacuate and then connects them with the local FRS to arrange a home fire safety visit.
The Mayor is content with the proposed reliance on self-identification but notes that its success relies on proactive communications from the RP. These communications should encourage residents to consider whether they need support and inform them of their rights.
PCFRAs will help identify residents who are at higher risk from fire in their own accommodation and measures such as fire-retardant bedding and fire safe ashtrays can be put in place for them in their homes. While PCFRAs are welcome and indeed already being undertaken now by some RPs, they focus on reducing the probability of fire inside someone’s flat and, unlike a PEEP, they do not incorporate an evacuation plan.
4. Reliance on FRS conducted rescue
The consultation makes the following argument against PEEPs: ‘the time between a fire being reported and the FRS mounting their operational response at the scene is the period in which a PEEP would be enacted. In a residential setting, there will inevitably be a limit as to what could be safely achieved by a single staff member or even a small team regarding support to mobility impaired residents in advance of the FRS attending with a greater number of competent, trained personnel.’ In other words, government is claiming there is insufficient time for a PEEP to add value and that FRS conducted rescue is always preferable.
The Mayor does not agree with this view for two reasons. First, the time that FRS takes to arrive at an emergency may be quick, but the time taken to actually set up a bridgehead, hoses and get into a position to fight fire and rescue residents in tall buildings is far greater. In reality there is more time for a PEEP to be effective than government is suggesting.
Second, expert evidence in the Inquiry has underscored the importance of timely evacuation to avoid serious and potentially fatal smoke inhalation. This highlights the risk inherent in the EEIS approach which relies solely on FRS conducted rescue instead of supporting self-evacuation.
I asked the Green Party Disability Group for a comment on the issue. They said:
Personal emergency evacuation plans are critical to sustain human life in this climate crises-ridden world of today. For disabled people to be valued equally as human beings by those in power then society and safe & sustainable environments must be designed for everyone.
We are also living through a mass disabling event with an estimated 2 million people in the UK suffering from Long Covid. Tories view disabled people as having no value & as ‘other’. If those in power designed for us all equally & inclusively we would no longer be disabled.
We would be what we really are - people with impairments. And living equally with everyone else. Against the horrific backdrop of Grenfell & needless loss of life and great suffering each and every Tory voter must hang their heads in shame. Peeps are humane, this Govt isn’t.
Thursday 6 May 2021
When are you likely to hear results from the GLA election?
Brent Council pulled out the stops today to ensure that voters and their staff were Covid safe at polling stations.
The above polling station in Wembley Park had perspex screens to protect staff, a one way system with good air flow, social distance markers on the pavement, sanitiser and covid marshals on hand to ensure compliance with covid safety measures. Voters were urged to use their own pencils or pens.
Voting boxes will go to Alexandra Palace for tomorrow's GLA count which will also be constrained by strict covid safety measures including a reduced number of counting staff and restrictions on the number of party counting agents. The Brondesbury Park by-election count will also take place in a separate room at Alexandra Palace with the count by a 'super team' expected to be completed after lunch, as long as no recount is required.
The GLA Brent and Harrow constituency count takes place tomorrow but some other London constituencies will not be counted until Saturday. The Brent and Harrow result will most likely be announced on Friday evening but as this is the first count under Covid conditions that cannot be guaranteed.
Provisional declaration times for Saturday are 8pm for the election of the Mayor and 9pm for the election of London-wide assembly members. If the declaration is held over to Sunday morning the timings are likely to be 10am and 11am.
Guidance on how to vote can be found here: https://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/how-complete-your-ballot-papers
You can follow real-time election results on the electronic screens here: http://www.londonelects.org.uk
Monday 19 April 2021
London Mayoral Debate Wednesday April 21st 6pm
Thursday 8 April 2021
UPDATE: Join the Mayoral Environment Debate. Let's speak out for London's parks! Re-scheduled to Wednesday April 21st
Fryent Country Park, Kingsbury
From London Friends of Green Spaces Network
Update from the organisers: *CHANGE OF DATE* Due to the pause in political campaigning following the sad death of Prince Philip we have had to postpone the Mayoral Environment Debate. The debate will now take place from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesday 21st April: https://www.wcl.org.uk/mayoral-environment-debate.asp
Wednesday 21st April, 7pm – 9pm
Chaired by presenter & environmentalist Julia Bradbury
The debate will allow Mayoral candidates to forward their policies on nature
and climate to London’s voters. If you want cleaner air, thriving parks, more
abundant wildlife and new foot paths and cycle ways, this is your chance to ask
the next Mayor for them.
To attend, please register through this link
[No need to re-register if you already have done so].
The More Natural Capital Coalition are a group of environmental charities who
share a common vision for a greener
London.
We are joining forces with climate and transport groups in London to host the
Mayoral Environment Debate. Organisations supporting the Environment Debate
include: RSPB, Open Spaces Society, The Orchard Project, CPRE London,
Woodland Trust, Butterfly Conservation, London Friends of Greenspaces Network,
WWT, WCL, London Gardens Trust, Ramblers, Trees for Cities, London National
Park City, Living Streets Group, London Wildlife Trust, Sustain, The
Conservation Volunteers, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, A Rocha UK, Badger
Trust, Born Free Foundation, British Mountaineering Council, Institute of
Fisheries Management, Four Paws UK, Tranquil City, Wildlife Gardening Forum,
London Greenpeace groups, London Friends of the Earth Groups, Haringey Clean
Air Group
All the best,
Dave Morris, Chair LFGN
Alice Roberts and Laura Collins at CPRE London
CPRE London is working with LFGN to bring more support to London's friends
groups
Friday 18 September 2020
Sadiq Khan calls for new restrictions to be imposed early, rather than full lockdown when it's too late
Following on from the previous two post this is a statement made by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, today:
“The Prime Minister has said that we are now seeing the start of a second wave of COVID-19 across the UK. Londoners should also know that I am extremely concerned by the latest evidence I’ve seen today from public health experts about the accelerating speed at which COVID-19 is now spreading here in London. This is made worse by the uncertainty caused by the lack of testing capacity in the capital.
“This afternoon I held an emergency meeting with London council leaders, the Government and Public Health England to discuss the next steps. It is increasingly likely that, in London, additional measures will soon be required to slow the spread of the virus. We will be considering some of the measures which have already been imposed in other parts of the UK. I am of the firm view that we should not wait, as happened six months ago, for this virus to again spiral out of control before taking action. The best thing for both public health and the economy is new restrictions imposed early, rather than a full lockdown when it’s too late - but the government must urgently ensure there is a fully functioning testing system.
“I strongly urge all Londoners to be as cautious as possible over this weekend. Please think very carefully about your actions - strictly follow social distancing rules, regularly wash your hands and wear a face covering to help reduce the spread of the virus.”
Friday 17 July 2020
Green Assembly Member wins TfL over to Green Energy
Almost exactly a year ago Caroline took the Mayor to task when she uncovered that only 0.01 per cent of TfL’s energy came from renewable sources, despite a target for rail services under the Mayor’s control to be zero carbon by 2030.
This is major news and I’m so pleased that the Mayor and TfL are seriously upping their game and addressing the climate emergency.I called the Mayor ‘irresponsible’ over his lack of concrete plans to get to zero carbon by 2030 after he joined me, and the Assembly, in declaring a climate emergency in December 2018. But this is a big step in the right direction.Although the initial plan is for up to 10 per cent of TfL’s energy to come from renewable sources, that’s still much better than what I found last year. Making London’s hungriest energy consumer green is a great start.Now let’s get the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police Service to switch to a 100 per cent green energy supply!
Wednesday 6 May 2020
Sadiq Khan and TfL announce post-lockdown 'London Streetspace' programme
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and TfL have today unveiled their ‘London Streetspace’ programme which will rapidly transform London’s streets to accommodate a possible ten-fold increase in cycling and five-fold increase in walking when lockdown restrictions are eased.
- The rapid construction of a strategic cycling network, using temporary materials, including new routes aimed at reducing crowding on Underground and train lines, and on busy bus corridors.
- A complete transformation of local town centres to enable local journeys to be safely walked and cycled where possible. Wider footways on high streets will facilitate a local economic recovery, with people having space to queue for shops as well as enough space for others to safely walk past while socially distancing.
- Reducing traffic on residential streets, creating low-traffic neighbourhoods right across London to enable more people to walk and cycle as part of their daily routine, as has happened during lockdown.
Sunday 28 July 2019
Brent Cycling Campaign calls for Council action as the health of Brent streets falls behind other London boroughs
London Cycling Campaign has been collaborating over the last year with several other active travel campaigning groups on the first ever “London Boroughs Healthy Streets Scorecard”.
The health of Brent’s streets is falling behind other London Boroughs. A recent report by a coalition of transport organisations gave Brent a score of 3.7 out of 10 measured against the Mayor of London’s Healthy Streets approach. Brent falls well below the London average on a range of measures including: road safety; and number of people choosing to walk or cycle.
Brent Cycling Campaign welcomes this publication, and hopes that it will spur Brent Council into action. Brent urgently needs to act to prevent the inactivity crisis hitting the borough, Brent is 26th out of 33 in number of people choosing to walk regularly, and 3rd worst in number of people choosing to cycle. Of Brent’s 500 km of roads only 10 km have safe space for cycling (with a further 13 km away from roads, mostly in parks). In contrast London’s best performing boroughs have over 50 km of protected bike lanes, and more in the pipeline. Brent consistently fails to remove rat-running traffic from residential roads, coming 24th out of 33 for this easy to implement and highly effective measure.
We encourage Brent to look at the best ideas from within and beyond London. For example the 20 mph speed limit zones in neighbouring Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham, and the success in active travel of the recent Waltham Forest Liveable Neighbourhood. As a campaign for people who cycle or support cycling in Brent we know what the barriers to active lifestyles are. Brent is the borough Will Norman, the Mayor’s transport commissioner, described as one of the worst places [for cycling] he had ever cycled